


Tune Factory

by Sorunort



Category: Rune Factory (Video Games), Stella Glow
Genre: Crossover, Gen, In which I throw the SG characters into the RF Universe, This is just a lot of fluff with minor ship bias, Tune Factory AU, alto really loves his friends okay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 17:59:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14218641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sorunort/pseuds/Sorunort
Summary: A Stella Glow x Tune Factory AU. Set within the Rune Factory world but does not interfere with the main story. Alto lives in the town of Regnantia under the watchful eye of the dragon, Eve. He decides to dedicate a day to making his friends happy by offering them gifts and seeing some other friendly faces along the way.





	Tune Factory

**Author's Note:**

> If it wasn't obvious by now, this is an AU fanfic between two video games I love, Stella Glow and Rune Factory. If you don't know anything about Rune Factory that's fine you'll understand this just fine All you need to know is Farming. Thats it, thats the game. I just really wanted to write some fluff and have everyone be happy. Now that we got that outta the way, there's a few things to know about the au beforehand-  
> -Alto's been living there for awhile, he just kinda showed up one day with amnesia like All protagonists do  
> -Lisette runs the local restaurant with her mom  
> -Niki and Mordimort run the bathhouse and inn  
> -Popo is an elf who sells flowers and seeds  
> -Sakuya is performer who comes from a far-off land with her shinobi Nonoka, she sings and stays at the restaurant with lisette's family  
> -Hilda, Ukuna, Francisca, Millicent, Kaede, and Klaus are all Guardians. For those of you that don't know anything about RF, Guardians are (put simply) people who were turned into monsters but after like a thousand years Alto punched them all so hard they turned back to their human forms except they've got animal parts now so Hooray Furries?? (think emoji). Hilda is like Dolce and doesnt have a monster she was an elf who got turned into a witch based monster. Ukuna is a scorpion/ girtabiliu. Francisca is a mermaid/siren. Millicent is a harpy. Kaede is a komainu. Klaus is a lion.  
> -Eve is the lead dragon of the town. She normally changes in and out of her dragon and human form and likes to walk among the townsfolk. When Alto wandered in Eve gave him a room and farm at the castle. She's not a homicidal moon this time Everyone Is Happy In Tune Factory  
> -Alph and Theo are characters from luminous arc and are dragon brothers. theyre perfect.
> 
> I think that covers everything! If you wanna be fully immersed I recommend the following music:  
> -For the first half of the fic put Rune Factory 4 - Spring Theme on loop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6MURMRUfcc  
> -When you reach Hilda's half put Rune Factory 4 - Sincerity on loop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7Sv26NA3P0  
> -After Hilda's half put Rune Factory 4 - Selphia Night on loop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHhXG7j_lFQ

         “Good morning, Alto!”

         The bell hanging over the door chimed and with it came Lisette’s cheerful voice shortly after. Alto rubbed the last of his sleep out his eyes with his palm then lazily waved at the red head. A quick glance around the restaurant for an open seat alerted him to the other early morning patrons. Millicent and Francisca sat together off to the far right, both holding a cup of tea and looked to be some kind of cookie on a plate between them. Parallel to them was Hrodulf finishing off a mug of what appeared to be coffee. It was almost funny to see such a burly man leaning over a small table. Alto gave them both a wave as well as he entered. Hrodulf offered a nod while the two girls exchanged a quiet good morning with him.

         The only patron to the far left was Sakuya working through her breakfast. Alto waved to her as well and Sakuya did the same in return. It was odd seeing her without Nonoka, but Alto supposed the shinobi was elsewhere in the building. Likely getting whatever Sakuya needed for today’s performance, or perhaps watching from the shadows. Nonoka did say something about ‘burying herself in obscurity’ so he wouldn’t put it past her. Alto glanced around the ceiling, waved to the wood panels and continued on to Lisette behind the counter.

         There were a few bar stools set up at the counter, so Alto grabbed a seat there. Folding his arms over and leaning on the countertop he focused his attention onto the Lisette, who mimicked the same action as him.

         “Busy morning, huh?” Alto teased, looking over his shoulder. “Where’s Miss Rosa? Weird seeing her not out here with you.”

         Lisette shrugged, following Alto’s line of sight to the knight and monster girls. “Millie and Fran always come together. It’s so cute! Sometimes they get talking to Hrodulf, too. I think he likes being invited to join their conversations.” She paused to brush some of her hair out of her eyes. “Mom’s out back with the garden right now. Since it’s so early she said I could handle our ‘morning rush’.”

         “You’re doing a fine job. Wouldn’t want things to get out of hand with such a crazy crowd,” Alto said with a chuckle lacing his words. He liked coming here in the morning before the real crowds came in, but he also liked the energy of the afternoon rush as well. If Alto wasn’t constantly moving he would be tempted to stick around. Speaking of moving…

         “So! What’ll be today, Alto?” Lisette asked, canting her head and allowing her bangs to fall right back to its previous position. “I’ve got a couple fish dishes, like sashimi, or maybe you want some orange juice?”

         Alto hesitated, the orange juice offer sounded way too tempting but… Oh, what the hey? “Sure, I’ll take a glass.”

         “Coming right up!” Lisette grinned, straightening up and pivoting. They had a kitchen in a back room but there was a section behind the counter for drinks, allowing Lisette to continue talking while she fiddling with everything. “How’s the field coming along?”

         “Oh, great actually!” Alto perked up a bit, scratching his cheek. “I’ve got a ton of strawberries, and some of my monsters started dropping eggs and milk.”

         “Aw, so you’re not gonna get it from us anymore?” Lisette flashed him a little pout over her shoulder.

         Alto laughed, shaking his head. “I never said that! In fact, I put those towards something for you.”

         “For me?” Her tone lifted with curiosity. She finished pouring the orange juice into a glass and sat it down in front of him. “You shouldn’t have, Alto. 92G please.”

         Alto fished around in his back pocket, then checked his many pouches around his waist. Finally he collected 92G and slid it towards her on the counter. “Mhmm,” Alto half heartedly answered, taking a long sip of his drink. _Ahh_ , good stuff. He licked his lips before continuing on. “I got the hang of this one recipe, and I wanted you to be the first one to try it out.”

         “I’m not sure if I should be flattered or nervous,” Lisette giggled, trying to cover her mouth with her hand. “But I’m happy you thought of me, Alto. What did you make?”

         With a smile, Alto withdrew a small bag of cookies from his pouch. It was tied off with a pink ribbon and the cookies within were of various little shapes, some of which were brown instead of off white. “I made these this morning with my new ingredients. They’re all for you.”

         Lisette’s whole face brightened, eyes widening as she gingerly took the sack off the counter and ignoring the G Alto had next to it. She tugged at the ribbon tentatively before looking back at Alto, almost asking for permission one more time. “You mean it? Aw, thank you, Alto! I _love_ sweets like these!”

         Chuckling, Alto rubbed the back of his neck, glancing off aways “Oh, it’s nothing, really. But I’m glad you’re so excited about them,” He said, readying his glass for another swig of orange juice.

         The redhead tugged the ribbon off the bag and shook two cookies out into her opposite palm. A circular vanilla cookie and chocolate heart shaped cookie fell out. Lisette marveled at the heart shaped one first before popping it into her mouth (they were small enough for one bite anyway). She crunched for a minute, her expression unsure, but it wasn’t long before she practically melted, clutching the bag as she smiled dreamily with a long “ _Mmmm!_ Alto deesh--” _Gulp._ “These are _sooo_ good! I didn’t know you were such a good baker! Can I share them with my mom?”

         “Of course!” Alto beamed back at her. “They’re for you, so you can do whatever you want with them. Though I’d prefer if you ate them,” he teased, tipping his glass back to finish off the orange juice. He gave it a little shake to get the last few drops as Lisette popped the vanilla cookie into her mouth.

         Alto slid off the bar stool and gave Lisette one last wave. “I’ve got some more stuff to do, but I’ll catch you later, alright?”

         Lisette nodded enthusiastically. “Mhmmph! Bye Aal--” pause to chew, hold on-- “Yeah! See you later, Alto! And thank you again for the cookies!”

         “It’s nothing, really. See ya, Lisette!” With that the two turned around in sync together. Alto gave a nod to the other patrons before exiting, while Lisette hurried out back to share her new treats with her mother.

 

\----

 

         “Now Mordi, how many times have I told you?”

         “...A lot…”

         “You’re not supposed to fall asleep at the cou-- Oh, good morning, Alto!”

         Alto seemed to walk in at just the right time. Niki was hovering around her sister, Mordimort, who was hunched over the front desk of the inn and bathhouse. Her eyes were starting to droop over but Niki looked as lively as ever.

         Niki clasped her hands together when Alto entered, nodding in his direction before giving Mordi as a gentle nudge. “Go on, Mordi, it’s rude to not say anything.”

         Mordi let out a low exhale, picking up her head slowly. She blinked with the same amount of speed, studying Alto for what felt like a long while. Finally she mumbled, “Good… morning,” and her head plopped back down to stare at the front desk.

         Her sister sighed quietly, shaking her head. “Oh, Mordi, what am I going to do with you…” She stared for a little longer, exchanging between her and Alto before choosing Alto. She smiled at him, gracious as always. “Are you here for a bath, Alto?”

         Part of him felt a little bad for Mordi with Niki scolding her, but he also knew Niki was a loving sister, and that Mordi was in good hands. The two of them had been through a lot after their mother passed, he couldn’t blame Mordi for being withdrawn. He wanted to help the two out of them out but Niki often insisted she had things under control. Since Ukuna started staying with them Alto wasn’t sure if he felt better or worse…

         He didn’t come here intending to take a bath at first, but as soon as Niki asked all his exhaustion from preparing gifts for everyone hit him at once. If he tried to farm later on he might collapse. A bath couldn’t hurt, and he had enough G to cover it. “Yeah, I’ll take a bath. How much for it?”

         Niki glanced at Mordi, half hoping her sister would open up and answer Alto’s question. However she didn’t budge and she decided to stare into a corner instead. Niki pursed her lips together in disapproval but turned back to Alto. “300G, please.”

         Yeesh, Alto really missed the first five baths free deal from when he moved in. But no matter, he could earn that money back with his crops in no time (provided a typhoon didn’t hit). Alto briefly patted each of the several pouches he wore before locating one with the right amount. Niki outstretched her hand and Alto handed over the payment. “I’ll be heading back then,” Alto jerked his head towards the two doors leading to the baths. “See you in a bit, guys.”

         “Of course,” Niki nodded, shuffling around Mordi to put the money away. “Enjoy!- Oh, Mordi, can you at least move over while I do this?”

         “...mor…”

 

\----

 

         “Aah,” Alto breathed as he sank into the bath, the water coming up just below his shoulders. He had a towel wrapped snug around his waist and his clothes were in a bin beyond the pool. He slumped against the wall, tempted to stick his face under water and start blowing bubbles. It couldn’t hurt, might be fun too. Alto inhaled and lowered himself further into the bath til his nose was submerged and--

         “Alto?”

         Alto practically jumped, the water splashing with his surprise. He should’ve expected someone else to be in there but he forgot to check before he dipped into the water. It was a _really_ hot bath so Alto guessed he could chalk that up to the steam but… honestly there was no excuse.

         However said steam cleared now that he was paying attention. And it was none other than the lion Guardian sitting across from him, a damp washcloth placed over his head and lion ears. Klaus was staring back at him expectantly.

         Alto took a moment to stammer before connecting words together properly. “K-Klaus! Sorry, I didn’t realize you were here, too.”

         A low rumble came from the man as he chuckled, shaking his head once. “Do not apologize. The bath is for all to use, and I expected someone to join me sooner or later.”

         “If you say so…” Alto mumbled, focusing his attention on the water. He wasn’t really sure how to continue this conversation, mainly from sheer embarrassment, but Klaus seemed eager to keep at it.

         “The baths are delightful, are they not?” He carried on, gliding his arms back and forth through the water, sending small ripples and waves Alto’s way. “The girls do a fantastic job at running this inn. It’s… truly a shame what happened to their mother. I can only hope Ukuna helps them with managing things. Although they did give me a weird look earlier.”

         “A weird look?” Alto asked, canting his head. “What for? I figured they were used to your ears and tail by now.”

         “Ah, it was not my ears and tail, no…” Klaus trailed off, turning his head to an object sitting outside the bath within arms reach. Alto had to blink and squint to make sense of it but it seemed to be a glass of something. It looked like a dark liquid- _wait._

          “Did you bring _wine_ into the bath?”

         “Wine? Goodness, no,” Klaus chuckled again, reaching for the glass and taking a sip. Klaus let out a satisfactory _aah_ after swallowing then raised the glass above the water for Alto to see, as if that would help. “It’s grape juice.”

         Alto stared at the glass numbly, knitting his eyebrows together. “...You brought grape juice into the bath?”

         Klaus’s lips formed a frown. Alto could’ve sworn his ears flattened out. “Is it really that weird…? What could be more relaxing than a warm bath and a glass of grape juice?”

         Alto opened his mouth to retort but paused, actually considering his words. He couldn’t deny a glass of orange juice would be nice right about now, but he didn’t want to spill it and create more work for the girls. Alto half expected to see a no foods or drink policy from here on out. In the end Alto shrugged. “I guess not. It does sound pretty good.”

         This pleased Klaus, his ears rising back up (so Alto _wasn’t_ seeing things!) as he smiled and took another sip. “I’m glad you understand, Alto. Had I brought another glass I would have offered you a taste as well.” Klaus set the glass back down outside the bath and dragged the washcloth off his head, freeing the ears beneath them. They normally looked so fluffy but now they were slick with water and little water droplets ran down his hair. One day he was going to pet those and feel the fluff for himself and _wait what?_ No, Alto, not the time to be thinking weird things.

         “That’s fine, I prefer orange juice anyway,” Alto replied, trying to kick the intrusive thought from his mind and look elsewhere than Klaus’s little lion ears. _So small… so fluffy..._

         “Orange juice, hm?” Klaus mused. “That reminds me of a dessert that went well with an orange sauce. It was traditionally served with brownies but it makes an excellent side for just about any dessert of choosing…”

 

\----

 

         Aside from Klaus’s surprise dessert lesson, the bath was just what Alto needed after a long morning. The warm water helped him relax and by the time he was supposed to get out he felt full of energy again. Like he could tackle that dungeon he kept putting off! Unfortunately for both Alto and the dungeon it would have to keep waiting, as he told himself today was meant for his friends. Once he bid farewell to Klaus and dressed himself Alto exited the bath to find Mordi and Niki on opposite sides of the room.

         Niki was behind the front desk this time, and Mordi was in the middle of fluffing a pillow on a lounge chair. He approached Niki first, gesturing towards Mordi. “Took her off desk duty, huh?”

         She picked her head up when Alto came over, then turned her attention to her sister. Her expression softened a bit, a small smile peeking out. “I would like for Mordi to be around more people to help get over her shyness. I thought perhaps this would’ve been a good job for her, but I suppose that was too much at once,” Her lips twitched downward, shaking her head. “I’m such an awful sister, making her do something she was clearly uncomfortable with…”

         “I don’t think you’re a bad sister at all,” Alto said, placing a hand on her shoulder. “You were just looking out for her and you had her best interests. If anything I think it’s better that you realized this _didn’t_ work for her instead of keeping at it hoping something good would happen. It can’t be easy having to run things yourselves. I admire you for that, Niki. You’re strong.”

         Her eyes widened, surprised by his words at first. Alto was worried he might have said something weird given her silence. He was only trying to help, he didn’t want her to misunderstand anything. However Niki finally released a breath, closing her eyes as she shook her head slowly with a small, content smile. “Alto, you really know how to compliment a girl, don’t you?”

         “Wh-” Alto pulled his hand back like it was hot, even his face heated up. “I didn’t mean it like that, I was just--!”

         Niki giggled, ignoring his outburst, “Thank you, Alto. You’re very kind. I hope you and Mordi can become good friends too someday.” Her expression drifted back to her sister, looking like she wanted to reach out and embrace her if not for the distance of the room.

         Relaxing, Alto followed her gaze over. “I don't think that’ll be too hard. If I come in here every day she has to warm up to me, right? Oh, speaking of,” Alto trailed off, holding up one finger to Niki as he patted the sides of his pants down in question. Nope, not in any of his pants pockets. Alto huffed to himself, pulling open his pouches until he located what he needed. Alto withdrew two different objects. One was a purple scarf neatly folded up and the other was a small tub of something. Alto held onto the small tub and presented the scarf to Niki. “I know it’s not cold right now, but I saw this and thought of you.”

         Her whole face lit up, lips curling into an O shape as she gingerly reached for the scarf, holding it in one hand while the other ran over the fabric. “Oh, Alto…” Niki breathed, clutching it close to her chest and rubbing her cheek across the top of it. “How did you know I love accessories like this?”

         He waved nonchalantly, glancing away out of embarrassment. “You might’ve mentioned it before. But I’m glad you like it, Niki. You deserve something nice for all the hard work you do.”

         “Please, you’re just trying to flatter me now, aren’t you?” Niki teased, unfurling the scarf and draping it across her arms, then tossing it around her neck. She tried striking a pose, angling her head to the side with a wink. “How do I look?”

         Alto tapped one finger over his lips in thought, barely hiding a smile, “I dunno, maybe it could use more of a,” Alto tugged the sides of the scarf down, plucked at the top, then stood back and nodded at his work while Niki laughed. “ _Now_ it’s perfect.”

         She looked down at the scarf, rolled her eyes upon realizing he did _nothing_ different, then proceeded to wrap it back up. “Thank you, Alto. You’re really too kind to me. Is Mordi getting a scarf, too?” She asked, trying to tuck the scarf back to how neatly it was folded before.

         Shaking his head Alto said, “No, I didn’t think she would like scarves like you do.”

         Niki shrugged one shoulder, nodding slowly. “Well, you would be right. Mordi doesn’t really care about clothing and accessories.”

         “I got her something else, I think she’ll really enjoy this.” Alto raised the hand holding the tub and gave it a little shake.

         Niki gave it a quick look before going back to tidying up her scarf. “Unless it’s mud in there, I’m not sure, but good luck. Thank you again.”

         “Well… sorta?” Alto made a face, mentally debating if the tub’s contents could really be classified as mud before ignoring it altogether. He had more to worry about. “You’re welcome, Niki. If you need any help my door is always open.”

         “Of course, Alto. I appreciate the gesture. I hope Mordi does, too.”

         Alto turned and saw Mordi still at the lounge chair. However instead of fluffing pillows and arranging them she was sitting down and looked ready to topple over. Did she fall asleep sitting up? From what he knew about the girl that seemed… _entirely_ possible. He stepped lightly so as to not wake her just yet. He bent over placing his hands on his knees and spoke softly. “Mordi? Mordi, are you awake?”

         She didn’t stir at first. Mordi only swayed gently and everytime she leaned too far to the side Alto was worried she might fall off the lounge altogether. Fortunately it didn’t come to that and her face scrunched up. “Mm… no.. I’m sleeping…”

         “Oh, good, you are awake,” Alto said with a little sigh of relief. He sat beside Mordi on the lounge, making sure to give her enough space. Wouldn’t want her to feel uncomfortable, especially after the whole fiasco at the front desk. “I’m kinda amazed you can sleep sitting up like that, Mordi.”

         Mordi reached up to rub her eyes, sparing Alto a glance and staring at the floor sleepily instead. She settled herself comfortably on one of the pillows she fluffed earlier, now effectively squishing it back down under her head. “I used to take… naps… at this time of day… with my mom and sister…”

         Frankly Alto was stunned she was even sharing that much. Could be a breakthrough between the two of them! “Really?” Alto ventured, adjusting his position to face her. “So why don’t you do upstairs and take a nap? It wouldn’t be good to sleep here like this.”

         “Mm…” Mordi grumbled, pulling on a section of her hair. “I don’t wanna… it will only… remind me of her...mor… Big sis says it would be good for me… to work instead of sleep…”

         “Well, she does have a point there,” Alto admitted. “It must be really tough on the two of you. I’m sorry, Mordi. If there’s anything I can do, I’m here to help you.”

         Her head shifted to stare at him, still running the strand of hair through her fingers. “You’ll… help me…? Will Alto… do my work for me?”

         “Okay, no, I gotta draw the line there,” Alto said, trying to sound more stern. “I’ve got my own work to do with my farm. How would you feel if I asked you to harvest everything while I took a nap?” Taking a nap honestly sounded delightful, but he wasn’t going to tell Mordi that. It would only hurt his argument.

         Her eyebrows knit together in confusion. “But Alto… you’re not doing that work right now… You don’t look… busy…”

         “No means no, Mordi. It’s not _my_ job to do _your_ job.”

         “...mor…”

         Well, there goes any conversation between them. Mordi shifted back over away from Alto, angling her shoulder so she wouldn’t have to look at him. Alto turned the tub around in his hands, determined to give this to her before he left.

         Taking another crack at it, Alto raised the tub up and sighed dramatically. “Well, I was going to give this sculpting clay to someone, but if Mordi is too busy to take a nap I guess I’ll have to find someone else…”

         That got her. Mordi immediately moved herself around to look over at him, her eyes landing on the tub. “...mor?”

         “Maybe I’ll see if there’s anyone else in town who likes sculpting clay as much as Mordimort- someone who’s not taking a nap.”

         Mordi sat up finally, closing any distance Alto made on the lounge sofa. She stared up at him with a pout. “I-I’m awake now…! I won't… slack off… anymor!”

         Alto hesitated like he was contemplating this fact then smiled and pressed the tub into her hands. “I got this the other day. I know you said you like art and making pottery. This isn’t exactly the same thing but you might still be able to make something out of it. Do you like it, Mordi?”

         Mordi took the tub from his hands, inspecting in her own before peeling the lid off. Peering inside she experimentally stuck her index finger into the wad of clay. It must have been a good poke because  her whole body relaxed. “...Yes, I.. love clay, Alto… Thank you… mor.”

         Alto chuckled, tempted to give Mordi a little ruffle but he wasn’t about to ruin her mood and trust in him. “You’re welcome, Mordi. I’m here for you and your sister, just don’t ask me to do your work for you, okay?”

         Mordi nodded, continuously poking at the clay inside, more focused on that instead of Alto. “Mhmm… I promise.”

         He could see with her attention stolen away there wasn’t anything left to do here. He did what he came here to do, dropping off the gifts for them, so it was time to move on. Alto stood up, stretched his arms above his head and walked towards the front door. “I’ll catch you both later!”

         “Bye Alto! Thank you again for the scarf!” Niki called back.

         “Good bye… Alto,” Mordi attempted to raise her voice to match Niki’s but it was still quiet in comparison. Alto appreciated the effort nonetheless. With the bathhouse out of the way, Alto set off for his next stop.

 

\----

 

         The seed and flower shop was a few buildings south of the bathhouse, so Alto continued his trek there. By now the sun was gradually creeping towards the middle of the sky, telling him it was nearly noon. He was making better time on his run than he thought. Perhaps if he finished sooner he could get some extra work done on his fields so he wouldn’t be out late.

         It was a small house-like structure, with a faded pink roof and multi colored patches of wood nailed down. Around the door were various stones with different colors like the roof. To top it off there was a set of flags strung over the windowsill gently waving along with the breeze. Without a doubt, this was Popo’s shop, _Ride The Wind_. The only thing that could top the outdoor decor was the inside. The interior looked normal at first glance but ornaments hung from the ceiling giving off a speckled light in the shop. Popo also had similar flags from the outdoors strung up inside. Towards the back of the shop was a giant window with two dark green curtains tied off with baubles to let in the light. Popo kept random knick knacks everywhere in her shop, like an old red kettle and a globe and a towering pile of dessert books. Visiting Popo was a treat not only because she was so sweet, but it was equally fun taking in all her decorations.

          Alto let himself in, waiting for the jingle to signal his entry and was immediately greeted with two distinct voices.

         “Take good care of those! Popo didn’t think you were the gardening type, Kaede.”

         “O-Oh, well, not really… But I wanted to do something nice for Klaus! He’s helped me out a lot, so I wanna repay him, you know?”

         Popo was conversing with Kaede, the komainu’s tail swished back and forth as Popo chatted on. Alto distantly wondered if her tail ever knocked anything over. If Bubu wasn’t careful she would be sent flying. But once the bell gave Alto away, both girls turned to look at him.

         Kaede smiled in greeting, switching her bag of seeds to one hand and waving with the other. “Good afternoon, Alto!”

         Popo gasped excitedly, practically hopping over her desk to tackle him. “Altooo!” She cheered, throwing herself against him and wrapping her arms snug around his waist. “Squeeze _squeeeeze!_ ”

         Fortunately Alto learned by now to brace himself for Popo’s hugs and steeled himself so he wouldn’t be knocked back. Luckily Popo was so small that her squeezes didn’t hurt either. Alto chuckled and returned the hug. “Squeeze, _squeeeeze_! Hey, Popo!” He patted her on the head then looked to Kaede. “Good afternoon to you, too, Kaede.”

         Kaede giggled, her tail wagging even faster. “I think you have a fan, Alto.”

         “I think you’re right. Okay, c’mon Popo,” Alto gently eased her arms off his waist. “Don’t you have to finish helping Kaede?”

         “Oh! Oops!” Popo unhooked herself from Alto and scampered back around her desk. “Sorry! Do you need anything else, Kaede? If it’s your first time gardening you might wanna try some fertilizer, or Greenifier.”

         Kaede’s tail slowed to a stop, her ears drooping down with her confusion. “Greenifier?” she echoed, baffled, “What does _that_ do? I don’t want it to turn my flowers green! Klaus deserves a nice, red flower.”

         “Nothing like that,” Popo assured, “It raises the quality! So it’ll become a _biiig_ healthy flower!”

         “Oh…” Kaede breathed, her ears perking up again. To be honest Alto had plenty fun just watching her tail and ears move around. It was a dead giveaway to her moods but also just plain ol’ cute to observe. “I don’t think I have enough for both. But I can always come back if I get stuck. Thank you for all the help, Popo.”

         Popo nodded enthusiastically. “Uh huh! You’re welcome here anytime, Kaede! Bubu and I looove to see you!” Popo glanced down at her feet, then searched around her shop. “Bubu? Say bye to Kaede! Oh, and Alto’s here!”

         A few moments passed and there was a faint scratching sound. Finally Bubu emerged from underneath the curtains in the back. The pig let out a squeak and trotted over to Kaede, bumping her nose on her leg. Kaede cooed at her, bending down to pat Bubu on her head. “Aw, I’ll see you later, Bubu! And you too, Popo! Thanks again. I’m gonna make the best fire flower Klaus has _ever_ seen!”

         With determination in her voice and step Kaede marched out the door, seeds in hand, the bell jingling as she left. Alto watched after her, even offered a playful salut as she passed him. Then Alto crossed the rest of the space to Popo’s desk. Popo planted her elbows on the desk and stared up at Alto eagerly. “What’ll it be today, Alto?”

         “Actually I’m not here to buy anything.”

         “Aww, how else is Popo supposed to make her money? I have Bubu to feed.”

         In confirmation the pig scuttled up to Alto’s leg and let out a small, “Bu!”

         Giving Bubu a pat on her head Alto continued, “I bought flowers from you yesterday, and you made a sale just now with Kaede. That’s not going to work on me, Popo.”

         Popo pouted at Alto but it quickly dissolved into her usual smile. “Heehee, you got me, Alto.”

         Alto rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet, arms behind his back as he worked his next gift out of his pouches. “I’ve got something for you instead actually. I think you’re really gonna like it.”

         The blonde elf gasped, standing upright and practically bouncing in place. Her pigtails flopped with every motion. “Really? A gift for Popo? Wowow! Can I see? What is it?”

         Raising one hand to calm her Alto then held up one index finger. “Now I know you really like dessert and dessert books, but…” Alto glanced to her stack of guidebooks in the corner, each about various confections. He wasn’t sure if she read through them all or not but he wasn’t about to add to it, although he was certain Popo would enjoy it regardless. “I think you’ve just about read every single copy under the sun.”

         “Huh?” Popo stopped bouncing long enough to locate her stack then she grinned sheepishly, scratching at her cheek. “Eheheh… Maybe. I don’t think I could read every single copy. Maybe just half of them. So if you didn’t bring me a dessert book what is it? A cake coupon?”

         Did cake coupons actually exist? Alto would have to ask Klaus later if they were a thing or if Popo was making it up. If they did then why didn’t he get his hands on one yet? Sure he wasn’t big on sweets but Lisette or Popo would appreciate it. … Then again, it would be easier to bake a cake and then give them each a slice as a gift.

         “No, I don’t have a cake coupon but if I get one then I’ll give it to you.” Alto pulled a book out from behind his back and presented it to Popo. There was a landscape printed onto the cover with the outline of a dragon above it and the title: _Beginners Guide To The Norad Kingdom_. Popo took the book from him, her eyes sparkling and her lips parted with a gasp as she studied the scenery silently.

         “You’ve mentioning wanting to travel before, right? I don’t know how much help this’ll be, but it has some tips about all the places to visit. Like in Selphia it says to visit Porcoline’s Kitchen. And in Alvarna there’s an area called Falling Star Path. There’s also-”

         Popo cut him off with another hug, rounding her desk and clutching her book she threw her free arm around him. “Thank you, thank you! I love these kinds of books! Now whenever I get to travel, I’ll have some cool places to check out! Thank you, Alto, thank you!”

         This time Alto hadn’t been prepared for her hug and had to keep himself from losing his balance. But that didn’t stop him from grinning and giving her head another ruffle. “It’s nothing, Popo. I saw the book and thought of you. I’m happy you really like it! Oh,” Alto craned his neck to try and look for her new guidebook squished in between them. “I looked through the book a bit myself, I left some bookmarks on areas I think you’d enjoy.”

         “Ooh,” Popo detached herself to open the book and flipped through the pages excitedly, locating some of the markers Alto left behind. “Hey, why don’t you come with me?” She asked, picking her head up and flashing her bright blue eyes at him. A look truly hard to resist.

         “Wh- Come with you?” Alto waved one hand. “It’s a nice thought, but I’ve got my farm to look after. Do you know how many weeds will grow if I don’t pay attention?”

         “Why not ask your monster friends to look after it?”

         “I mean I… kinda already do for when I need to run errands,” Alto admitted, rubbing his neck. “But I can’t ask that of them for such a long amount of time. They’ll get tired and need rest too.”

         Popo quirked her head, swaying side to side in thought. Finally she nodded in determination afer coming up with an answer. “Okay, then we’ll go to each of the cities for a few days at a time. We’ll go to Alvarna for three days, come back, then begin scheduling a trip to Selphia!”

         That... didn’t sound too bad, actually. If he left enough fodder in the bin the monster’s would be alright for a few days. Plus if he asked one of his friends to check on the farm while he was gone it would be less to worry about. Still, Alto would hate to inconvenience anyone like that. So to placate Popo Alto raised his hands in a surrender and shrugged. “I’ll think about it. Is that good for now?”

         The elf beamed and nodded heartily. “Uh huh! Isn’t this exciting, Bubu?” Popo scooped up her pet while tucking her book under her arm and then rubbed her nose with Bubu’s. “Traveling the world! With Alto and Bubu! It’s gonna be sooo amazing!”

         Alto chuckled watching Bubu squirm from the new height before adjusting and raking in all the attention. Popo and Bubu both squealed with each other as Popo continued spouting out different plans for their world adventure. Alto glanced back at the door then back to them. “I’ve gotta keep moving but it was nice talking to you, Popo. I’ll see you later?”

         She stopped cuddling Bubu long enough to flash Alto a smile, then held Bubu’s tiny hooves and waved them goodbye. “Yeah! Bye bye Alto! Thank you for the book, I’ll read aaall of it!”

         “Make a nice long list of all the places you wanna see,” Alto teased, turning for the door. “I wanna hear all about them, alright?”

         “You bet! See yaaa!”

         “Later, Popo!”

 

\-----

 

         For the second time today Alto found himself at Lisette’s restaurant. One might ask why he didn’t talk to Sakuya earlier when he came to see Lisette but something told him Sakuya didn’t want to be disturbed while eating breakfast. It was equally possible he could walk in on her performance but if so then he could just wait around until she was done singing. Sakuya’s voice was really pretty and getting to hear it was always a treat. Alto wanted to sit in on her shows more often but he was usually preoccupied with dungeons, requests, and taking care of his field.

         Unfortunately for Alto he caught the last few notes of Sakuya’s song just as he walked inside. The crowd from earlier had changed by now. Rusty was sat with Archibald across from him, both watching Sakuya as she finished her song. To the left parallel from them was Alph and Theo, the younger brother looking especially transfixed on Sakuya. Alto wished he had something on hand for the rest of the patrons but he supposed that would be tomorrow’s quest.

         Sakuya ended with a vibrato and took a bow as everyone clapped. Alto joined in as well, approaching the table with the dragon brothers and sitting across from Alph. “Guess I came in too late, huh?”

         Alph was watching Sakuya as she picked her head up and went to move to their table, except she was stopped by a crying Archibald. The dragon chuckled, “No, I think you made it in time to see the real show. I’ve never seen a grown man cry like that.”

         Theo was nearly bouncing in his seat, his blonde tufts bobbing along with him. “Wooow! Sakuya’s so talented! Isn’t she, brother?”

         Alph reached over and ruffled Theo’s hair then gave him a little shove back into his chair. Not enough to hurt him, just to stop his bouncing. “Yeah, she is! Now sit still, Miss Rosa is going to deliver your food in a few minutes.”

         The blonde dragon pouted, slumping down and crossing his arms. “But I wanna talk to Sakuya…”

         “If she comes over here then you can.”

         “Yaaay!”

         Alto chuckled at the brothers display. For being a pair of dragons there wasn’t anything frightening about them. Of course that may change in the future since Alto still hadn’t seen their dragon forms. He was used to seeing Eve change her form around that it was just a normal part of his life by now. Whether he woke up to a dragon or little girl sitting in the next room over didn’t matter. Alto also had a feeling he couldn’t be scared of the brothers no matter what. The two of them were so genuine and fun to be around he couldn’t imagine that changing if their dragon form happened to be a little frightening.

         Sakuya eventually freed herself from Archibald and his tears and peered over in Alto and the dragon’s direction. She scowled and stalked over, planting her hands on her hips and bending forward to glower at Alto. “You better have a good excuse for coming in late, Alto! It’s bad enough you don’t come in normally but to come in when I’m already finishing? Talk about rude. Are all boys as rude as you are? You barely even said hello this morning.”

         Repressing a sigh Alto glanced over at Alph who was snickering under his breath. Alph clasped his hands together and rested his chin on top of them, watching the situation with amusement. “Yeah, Alto, what’s your excuse?”

         Theo, however, was totally mystified by Sakuya and hardly acknowledged her sharp words and tone. His eyes grew wide and his mouth hung open, clawed hands gripping the table as he stared with equal intensity. “H-Hi… Sakuya. You sounded really pretty just now...”

         Sakuya tore her gaze away from Alto look at Theo. Her previous demeanor was lost and replaced with a kind smile. “Thank you, Theo,” she said with sweetness dripping from her voice, one hand reaching out to pat him on the head. “Your compliments and audience participation truly mean a lot to me. A performer is nothing without an audience.”

         Theo looked like he had just been touched by a Goddess. His whole face lit up as he gasped, his claws digging into the table so much that sank through and made craters. Sakuya withdrew her hand in shock, blinking down in surprise at the boy’s claws now stuck in the table. Theo had the same reaction, staring numbly as his expression gradually darkened. Then he looked to his brother pitifully and whined, “Big Brooo… I did it again…”

         All amusement was lost from his face and Alph tipped his head back and groaned. “ _Again_ , Theo? You gotta stop doing this-- Fine, c’mon, let’s go tell Miss Rosa about the table…”

         “Uweeeh, I’m sorry, Big Bro! It was an accident!”

         “I know, I know, I’m sure she’ll understand too…”

         The two of them started to stand up, Theo having to wrench his hands free from the table and followed after his brother. Alph spoke quietly with Lisette and Theo’s whole body deflated, staring at the ground in shame. Lisette shook her head and disappeared back into the kitchen. At the same time Alph wrapped one arm around Theo, patting his shoulder as Theo leaned into the contact.

         Alto regarded the new craters in the table with a sigh, plopping his elbow down on the table and leaning his head into his hand. “It’s great that they care about each other, but you’d think a dragon would know not to do this stuff…”

         Sakuya huffed and pulled the chair next to Alto out, smoothing down her skirt and sitting carefully. “Don’t try to change the subject, as weird as it was,” she said, mimicking his position. “You still didn’t answer me.”

          _Ugh_. Alto shook his head once and laid his arm down on the table. “I don’t have any excuse, Sakuya, I didn’t want to bug you while you were having breakfast, and I was running late today. I didn’t realize you cared so much about me being in the audience, but I’ll try to-”

         “Wh-- No!” Sakuya interjected, “I don’t care if you’re here or not!”

         “Then why are you putting up such a fuss?”

         “Because you--” Sakuya stammered, Alto noticing a blush tinged her cheeks. She groaned and folded her arms over the table, hiding her face. “A-Anyway, why did you even come if you were just going to miss my show?”

         “Oh!” Alto perked up, trying to ignore her weird behavior and rummaged through his pouches for the millionth time. “I got you something.”

         That piqued her interest. Sakuya spared him a curious glance, raising an eyebrow. “Huh? What, like a gift?” She asked, tilting her head to better look at him. “This better not be some kind of trick or I swear-”

         A small palette slid across the table and nudged Sakuya’s arm. Alto smiled warmly at her with a little nod for her to inspect it herself. Sakuya pursed her lips together, puzzled, but picked it up anyway, edging her fingernail between the top and bottom piece and cracking it open. Inside the top piece held a mirror and the bottom held an array of five different colors with a little swab at the very bottom. Three were various red shades and the last two leaned toward brown. Sakuya probably had tons of makeup kits by now but Alto wasn’t about to risk giving her something she didn’t like and hearing about it for the next week straight.

         “You got me… eyeshadow?” Sakuya asked, tearing her gaze away to look at Alto quizzically.

         Rubbing the back of his neck Alto shrugged one shoulder. “You use a lot of makeup in your shows, right? I thought maybe you were running low, or that you might like these colors since you wear a lot of red,” Alto gestured to her attire.

         Her eyes narrowed, clicking her tongue before going to inspect herself in the mirror. “What, so are you trying to say I need makeup to look nice or something? That I need to cover up?”

         “What?” Alto’s face fell, feeling a mite exhausted from Sakuya’s attitude. “I never said that!”

         “So you only like me when I’m wearing makeup?”

         “I didn’t say that either, Sakuya. Look if you don’t like it I can just take it back,” Alto sighed. He was hoping he had done well on all his gifts today but maybe he misunderstood Sakuya.

         She flashed him another side eye look while he spoke and dabbed her index finger onto a middle red then rubbed the color onto her hand. Sakuya surveyed how the color looked on her, leaning her head back then nodding thoughtfully. “This is actually really good quality... Where did you get this, Alto?”

         Taken aback by the change of heart Alto was stunned for a split second. He didn’t want to tell her it was made from a variety of monster drops and his chemistry set back in his room. That thing was mainly for making medicine but he managed to make something work after enough trial and error. If she liked it after all he at least had the instructions written out. Getting a different pigment would be a lot more effort though….

         Alto scratched his cheek and tried to answer as smoothly as possible. “I ordered it from uh.. Kardia, one of the other towns. So you’re not gonna find it at the general store.”

         She gasped lightly, “So it’s like a one of a kind? Shipped from out of town?” Alto saw something in her expression change as Sakuya thought this new information over. She closed the palette up and straightened up in her chair. “Well,” she began, “If you went through all that trouble, I guess I can keep it. You were just trying to be nice so I’ll let it slide.” She paused, settling her chin over her hand and playing with a strand of hair in the opposite hand. “I’ll forgive you for once since I love this kind of thing. You’re excused from missing my show today but you better not miss it tomorrow.”

         He was so close to exhaling out of pure relief but he didn’t want to offend Sakuya even more than he initially thought. Instead he smiled and nodded in agreement. “Of course! I’ll be here, Sakuya, I promise. Oh, and,” Alto had started to stand up, pausing as he remembered. “If I were to get another palette, hypothetically, would you like the color… pink or…?”

         Sakuya grinned, turning in her chair to face him. “I see what you’re getting at, Alto.”

         “You do? So can we make this easy and you tell me if pink is good or not?”

         “Mmm,” Sakuya seemed to ponder this but she was smiling deviously before shaking her head. “No, I think I’ll let you guess what color I like.”

         “Aw, man… Alright, fine,” Alto raised his arms in defense and stood up. “I see what your angle is. You wanna test if I’m paying attention or something, right? Well I’ll show you. I’ll have your favorite color ready by tomorrow.”

         “Don’t you have to order it or something?”

         “Uh-- yeah… Okay, so maybe not tomorrow.”

         “And what if my favorite color doesn’t even look good on me? What am I supposed to do with the palette then?”

         “Ugh, jeez… I’ll see you later, Sakuya,” Alto pivoted around and was heading for the door, calling over his shoulder. “Later Alph, good luck, Theo.”

         The dragon brothers were in the middle of conversing with Miss Rosa but Theo stopped looking gloomy enough to answer Alto with a, “Bye Altooo!” as Alph offer a half hearted wave.

         “Yeah, I’ll see you,” Sakuya grumbled as she watched him leave then turned around in her seat as soon as Nonoka barreled through the door a second later. Her arms were full of paper bags from the general store. It was amazing how she could see where she was going despite the giant cardboard box on her head.

         “Fwaaah! I’m sorry for running late, Milady!” Nonoka whined, bowing her head in shame.

         “It’s fine, did you get everything?” Sakuya answered shortly, turning the palette over in her fingers.

         “Y-Yes! I asked for everything on the list you gave me, though the only thing they didn’t have was, uhm…” Nonoka had to balance everything in her arms as she fumbled around for the list in question. However she stopped when she took notice of the small palette in Sakuya’s hand. “O-Oh, I didn’t realize you already had the makeup! I guess I must’ve dreamt it up or something since the store didn’t have it! Or-”

         “No, you walking pair of knockers,” Sakuya sighed, putting the palette down on the table. “It was just dumb luck. This is a gift so I guess it works out that the store didn’t carry it.”

         Nonoka breathed a sigh of relief. “That makes sense!” She said to herself. “Who gave it to you, Milady?”

         “I don’t have to tell you. Shouldn’t you be putting everything in my room by now?”

         “Aah! You’re right! I’m sorry Milady, I’ll leave now! Niin, niiin!”

 

\----

 

         By now the sun was beginning to set in the sky. Alto only had one more person to visit, but finding her was another story. In the past whenever he found Dante or Dorothy Hilda was sure to be with one or both of them. The three were inseparable but today was another story. Alto caught Dante on his way out of Regnantia and Alto barely got anything out of him about Hilda ( _Why do you wanna know? Like I’d ever tell you._ ). He got a similar response form Dorothy, though a bit more harrowing ( _Maybe I’ll tell you if you let me mince you up a bit! Hahaha!☆_ ).

         He circled the town about five times before it hit him she wasn’t within Regnantia’s walls and instead wandered around the perimeter. Marie had said something about the lake outside town, so Alto decided to try there first. Ignoring any Woolys that tried to bother him Alto wandered down the lake path and luckily found Hilda there.

         The elf-witch stood there by the water, mesmerized by the stillness and occasional fish that swam to the edge only to dart back into the deeper section. The sunset reflected upon the lake and created a beautiful scene, one Alto wasn’t sure he wanted to disrupt.

         However Hilda seemed to realize his presence before he could say anything. She didn’t turn around and opted for raising her voice instead. “I know you’re there, Alto.”

         “How the heck do you do that…?” Alto muttered and approached her, standing at her side. “Took me awhile to find you. Dante and Dorothy wouldn’t say a word.”

         “That’s good then. I asked them not to,” Hilda replied shortly. She kept her gaze on the water and her expression neutral, if anything a bit longing.

         “Why not?” Alto asked, glancing at her before looking back at the lake. “If you don’t want me here I can leave until you come back to town.”

         Hilda shook her head slowly, closing her eyes. “This place is.. Special to me, Alto.”

         “...Special?” He echoed, knitting his eyebrows. He didn’t know a lot about Hilda’s old life come to think of it. The two of them were on good terms but she always kept her secrets and past bottled up. Alto wasn’t going to pry into her business but if she was about to open up… Alto couldn’t lie, he was quite curious.

         Hilda didn’t answer for what felt like a long while. She kept her eyes closed the whole time. Eventually her lips pursed in mild frustration and her eyebrows came together with a sad sigh to top it all off, shaking her head. “It’s no use… I can’t recall…”

         He wasn’t sure what she was trying to do but Alto felt genuinely sorry for her. He half wanted to reach for her hand as a means of comfort. His voice was soft and quiet, almost lost beneath the sound of the wind. “...Hilda?”

         Her eyes finally opened, their gold color full of sadness. She transferred her gaze to the ground for a moment then turned her head to Alto. “This spot.. I used to come here with someone. He meant a lot to me… I think I was even in love with him.”

         Her lips twitched upward and for a second Hilda looked like she could get lost in fond memories. “He was a kind individual. Full of care and always looked out for everyone around him. I couldn’t have been the only one fixated on him… In fact, I…” Her smile fell along with her eyes, dragging them back to the ground. “...I wasn’t his first choice. I know he chose another over me.”

         “Hilda, I’m sorry,” Alto offered her quietly, moving to try and catch her gaze. He may not know the full situation but seeing the hurt expression on Hilda’s face made his own heart hurt. She didn’t deserve to look so crestfallen like that. “What happened?”

         The elf let out a short, pain ridden chuckle. “That’s just it, Alto. I can’t remember beyond that. No matter how hard I try, I cannot recall his face, his name, or… or even what became of him. All I know is that I loved him but despite it all he could never love me back.” Her voice quieted at that, her hands curling into little fists. She took a moment to inhale, lifting her head to stare longingly at the water. “That’s why I came here. I thought perhaps… Perhaps this would help me remember. Anything at all. But it’s no use. It’s simply… no use at all.”

         To be perfectly honest Alto wasn’t sure how to approach this. He could understand where Hilda was coming from to a degree but the situation was different. Alto didn’t have any of his memories. He didn’t need or want them after the life he made in Regnantia. Hilda on the other hand remembered bits and pieces. She knew who she was, where she came from, but the most important part… someone she so clearly loved was lost to her. And that had to be all the more painful. To know something was there but it was always out of her reach.

         Alto looked down, trying to organize his thoughts as best he could before speaking up. “...I’m sorry. It must be causing you a great deal of pain, Hilda.” Tentatively he reached out, taking her wrist and bringing it up to clasp between his own hands. Hilda turned to him, wide eyed and puzzled but he would accept that over the sorrowful look she held before. “But you don’t have to feel like this alone. I’m right here for you. I may not understand fully but I know what it’s like to lose your memories. Especially when it’s someone you really care about. It’s… cruel, having to forget about someone like that.”

         Hilda stared at Alto, the puzzled look turning shocked. She didn’t pull away from his hand. If anything she stood there completely still. But she didn’t tell him to stop either. It was like she was seeing Alto but… he wasn’t really there. Like Hilda was looking at someone who wasn’t him. He took her silence as permission to continue. “If you can’t remember him, then let’s make new memories. I won’t let you forget about them if we’re together. We can come to the lake whenever you want, talk about everything and nothing. I’m not.. Looking or asking you to replace the one you love. But I can’t let you shoulder such pain like this. Hold onto the good memories of him, and treasure the now. I’m not going anywhere, or I don’t plan on it. And who knows?” Alto smiled warmly, running his thumb over her knuckles. “Maybe Eve or the other Guardians will know this mystery man of yours. If you can’t remember, maybe they can. Eve is a lot older than you so she’s bound to remember something. I guess what I’m trying to say is…” He shrugged one shoulder, looking over the sunset lake. “It doesn’t end here, Hilda. So don’t give up hope.”

         There was silence between them after that. Alto didn’t expect a reply immediately and he was fine with waiting until Hilda was ready. He started to loosen his grip but Hilda only took a step closer, holding onto his hands. Alto just now realized how close the two of them were, combined with how Hilda was clasping his hands, and felt his face heat up. Hopefully Hilda didn’t take it the wrong way. He didn’t want to replace the guy she loved.

         But it appeared Hilda didn’t see it as such. She sighed shakily, her lips pressing into a thin smile full of heartache. “You’re truly something, Alto… Promising such a thing to a girl you hardly know…”

         “I wouldn’t say I hardly know you,” Alto mumbled, glancing off to the side, internally praying Hilda didn’t see him blushing. Hopefully the setting sun would disguise it somewhat. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”

         Hilda hesitated, her smile faltering a tad. “I… I’d say you’re more than that,” she said quietly. Alto almost didn’t catch it. “You were the one to free me from my monster form. I remember waking up and seeing you. The first person I had seen in… perhaps a thousand years. It hardly feels like such time has passed but...  But you’re still special to me, Alto. I’m grateful for what you’ve done.“

         “Oh…” Alto breathed, focusing back on Hilda. “It’s, I-- I’m happy I found you, Hilda. Really, I am,” He smiled. “You’re fun to be around, and I know everyone else in town thinks the same. Marie looks up to you, Lisette can never stop gushing about how pretty you are,” Alto said, and would’ve continued if Hilda’s chuckled hadn’t interrupted.

         “Please, you really know how to flatter a girl.”

         “Funny, that’s the second time today I’ve heard that,” Alto sighed.

         “Thank you, Alto. I suppose it couldn’t hurt to give what you said a try. After a thousand years… perhaps I should look to the future and stop holding onto the past,” Hilda mused, her hands steadily releasing his.

         “You don’t have to let go,” Alto reminded her. “It’s good to remember the ones we love and care about. That way it’s kind of like they’re always with us. So even if you don’t know his name or face, you know he existed. A little piece of him will always be with you.”

         Hilda looked a little shocked at that until she found herself nodding slowly along with him. “...Yes. Yes I suppose so…”

         With their hands at their sides again and awkwardly looking off in different directions, Alto rubbed his neck and laughed to himself. “Man, I totally forgot what I came here to do.”

         “Oh?” Hilda quirked her head. “What is it, Alto?”

         With precision Alto pulled out Hilda’s gift from his pockets. Unlike earlier where he had to fumble and search Alto knew exactly where this was located. He took Hilda’s wrist again and deposited two teabags into her palm. He closed her fingers around it then released his grip. Hilda brought it closer to inspect, giving them an experimental poke.

         “...Tea leaves…?”

         “Uh, sorta,” Alto rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged helplessly. “You like shefrunes, right?”

         Hilda’s eyes widened a degree then went back to staring at the tea bags. “Oh, yes, I do. I’m surprised you remember such a small detail like that.”

         He shook his head. “I said we’re friends, aren’t we? It wouldn’t be right for me to forget what you liked and disliked. But anyway… I found some shefrunes and tried making a tea blend out of the leaves. I don’t know if it’s any good but I thought maybe…” Alto shifted his weight on his feet, glancing off to the side. “...maybe we could try it together? That way if it’s bad we’re not alone? Plus I’d feel horrible making you drink bad tea. I should at least be there to apologize in person,” Alto trailed off, scratched his cheek. “Maybe you could even show me how to make a better blend. You know more about tea than I do.”

         Hilda dragged one finger across the two bags, taking note of the tiny crushed up leaves escaping the net of the bag into her palm. Her lips spread into a small smile, lifting her head to meet his gaze. “I think that sounds lovely, Alto,” She answered cooly. “I would love to spend more time with you. Thank you for such a considerate gift. You really are a sweet person.”

         The poor guy nearly sputtered, pressing his hand against his lips to contain any awkward noises. “W-What? Sweet? No, I-- It might not even be _good_ and you’re--” Alto shifted around to face the lake, scratching his head to try and block his face. If he wasn’t blushing before he sure was now. “Wow! The sun’s really setting! We should hurry back before it, uh, gets dark!”

         The witch chuckled and stepped closer to Alto. “Of course. We should return now if we want to make it back before sundown. I don’t want Dante and Dorothy to think I’ve gone missing.”

         “Y’know you really ought to do something about those two…”

         The two of them began their trek back side by side, Alto keeping one hand on the hilt of his sword in case any of the local monsters wanted to pick a fight (and to keep Hilda safe, although he knew Hilda was more than capable of defending herself). Luckily for everyone the monsters were all sleeping and the two could chat as long as they whispered. Wouldn’t want to wake the monsters, although Alto half supposed getting a few more monster drops wouldn’t be a bad idea. Along the way Alto would stop to pick up random objects like multi-colored and withered grass. Hilda would laugh and Alto have to explain all the various uses and purposes for the grass he found to her. But he had a feeling Hilda just wanted to hear him ramble about farm life. The way she smiled and watched him, entranced, as he went on and on… It seemed the two of them were fine with taking their time on the walk back.

 

\----

 

         After seeing Hilda back to her residence Alto started his walk back to the castle. He bid anyone he encountered on the way back a good night and friendly wave. Including some people he would have to track down tomorrow and hand out gifts for. Maybe he could purchase that greenifier for Kaede, or bake Millicent some pumpkin flan. There was time in the morning to ponder it at least.

         Alto passed in front of the castle to get to his room on the far right. He closed his door behind him and locked it then got to pulling off his boots. He left them right next to the door for when he would go out again in the morning. There was a small wardrobe off to the side and Alto changed into his pajamas from there. They weren’t anything special, just some spare red long sleeves and pants that miraculously fit him. Alto figured they were hand-me-downs from one of the knights. Maybe Rusty, but it didn’t matter.

         He nearly got into bed when he remembered something important. How silly of him to almost forget! It wasn’t right to sleep without saying good night to Eve first. She was only the next room over and was responsible for helping him out when he arrived in Regnantia.

         Alto slipped on a pair of slippers and walked into the main hall next door. Alto half expected to see a giant dragon waiting for him. But instead it was just Eve surrounded by an expansive mound of pillows ten times her size. Alto knew those had to be comfier for when she was in her dragon form, and she was probably getting ready to do that, but for now she looked like she was in pure bliss from sinking into it’s cushiony embrace.

         “Careful, I think that pillow is going to swallow you,” Alto teased, coming to a stop just in front of her pillow fort.

         Immediately Eve gasped and shot up, her teal hair frazzled and static but her smile was bright and eager. “Alto!” she cheered, shoving pillows out of the way. Her tiny clawed hands wrapped around his arm (amazingly enough she avoided puncturing him anywhere). “Come, come, sit!” She begged, tugging him along. If she really wanted him to sit then she would have no trouble applying her strength and forcing him through, but since Alto was able to stand upright and have her still tug… Eve just wanted him to move on his own free will.

         Alto cast a longing stare to his room off to the side and sighed in resignation, moving his feet and stepping into her pillow mound. “Alright, just for a bit, I guess.”

         Eve brought him to the center and pulled some pillows out of her mound and handed them off to Alto. Alto accepted them and sat cross legged, hugging the pillow close and resting his cheek on it. “Mm… This is nice, Eve,” he commented absently. “I might just fall asleep here.”

         The dragon girl giggled, splaying her small legs out and proceeding to bury herself in pillows up to her chest. “I can’t do this when I’m a dragon, the pillows are too small to cover my whole body,” Eve explained, patting the fabric to some unknown rhythm. “But they’re really comfy to sleep on when I’m so big!”

         “I’m sure they are,” Alto had to repress a yawn, wrinkling his face up. “So what’d you do today?”

         Flopping back into more pillows Eve shrugged. “The usual. I talked to as many people as I could. Helped some out. They all thanked me and I went on my way. … I ran into Marie again.”

         Alto pulled his legs up to his chest, stuffing the pillow between them. “Mm? What’s wrong with that?”

         Eve’s smile faded into something more thoughtful. She hummed lightly and ended up shaking her head. “...Nothing’s wrong with that,” She decided, almost like she had to say it for herself than for Alto to hear.

         Frowning Alto gave her a little nudge. “You can tell me anything, Eve. We’re friends.”

         She smiled albeit a little sadly at him. “Oh, Alto… I wish I could. But there are some things I can’t share with you or with anyone. But more importantly… I need you to trust me.” Eve sat up and placed a hand over his. “Can you do that?”

         Alto straightened up at the gesture, maneuvering his hand to hold her tiny one. He rubbed his thumb over where the skin transitioned into warm, minuscule teal scales. Then his gaze traveled up to Eve. There was something behind her eyes that he couldn't place. Alto wanted to ask what was bothering her, especially about Marie, but Eve made it clear she wasn't going to let up. Not right now anyway. So Alto nodded in agreement, squeezing her hand in affirmation. “I understand, Eve. But I want you to know I’m here for you. Can _you_ do that for me?”

         With a giggle she nodded back, pulling her hand away to extend her pinky. “I promise.”

         Alto followed suit and intertwined his pinky with hers, carefully avoiding her claws. “I promise too. Will you let me get some sleep now?”

         Eve pouted and gave his arm a small tug closer to her, startling Alto by the sheer force of power in her tug from a simple pinky finger, “Can you spend the night with me?”

         “What, in here?” Alto looked around at the main hall. With the giant windowed ceiling giving way to the moon’s rays and Eve’s pillow horde directly beneath it. “Where am I supposed to sleep? Don’t you turn into a dragon at this time?”

         Eve shrugged and used her free hand to gesture to the horde around her. “I don’t _have_ to, I do it for convenience. There’s more than enough room and there’s some blankets stuffed in here somewhere.” Then she leaned in and grinned. “You promised you would be there for me, Altooo, doesn’t this count?”

         Well, she clearly wasn’t going to let up. Alto sighed and started to re-adjust himself. “Alright, I’ll have a sleepover with you. Happy?”

         Eve finally released his hand, clapping joyfully. “Yay! My first sleepover with Alto! Come, lay here!” Eve scooted off and began patting a section of the pillow horde beside her. “Just watch out for my horns!”

         Yikes, those would be uncomfortable to roll over onto… But Alto complied, first digging around for a blanket and then settling in beside her, spreading the blanket over the two of them. Alto laid down on his side and Eve happily scooched herself closer to him. Alto rested one arm over her and closed his eyes. From such a long day getting to relax in a mass of pillows was just the thing he needed. It was like his whole body finally got the chance to relax and take a rest. He breathed out contentedly, his arm snuggling Eve closer with disregard for her horns.

         “Good night, Eve.”

         “Good night, Alto.”

**Author's Note:**

> I tried my best to go into this unbiased but im an alto/hilda loving fuck im sorry (no im not)  
> A lot of these characters have designs! Feel free to check them out here and gain a bit more insight on the tune factory au.  
> Alto, Lisette, Sakuya, Popo, Hilda, Niki and Mordi: http://sorunort.tumblr.com/post/169595067926/rune-factory-x-stella-glow-au-tune-factory-i  
> Millicent, Kaede, Francisca, and Ukuna: http://sorunort.tumblr.com/post/169869063246/rune-factory-x-stella-glow-tune-factory-au-the  
> Some adorable artwork made by my lovely friend Silky http://chromedumb.tumblr.com/post/171372379183/sorunort-made-some-cute-designs-for-her-rune
> 
> I dunno if I'll write anymore tune factory after this, who knows, writing characters beyond hilda and eve are Scary


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